All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Second what @Pugga said. 1-1 enduro hard to beat. i would also double check the reserve alloy wheelsets. Great replacement policies and solid wheels. decent price.
if you can find the raceface ar's or arc's, they're great but only come in rims. requires you to get a hub somewhere.
composite, we are one union's are a great carbon rim for the price. but they can get pricey.

any of the dt swiss alloy rims are pretty good as well. the fr series can take quite a beating.

I would suggest you try to get rims with 32 holes as the weight penalty is fairly low for added strength and rigidity. good luck! have fun!

lol! i see you're doing it in the sun to help soften up rubber. lol.

 

Nobl wheels are a great value in my opinion. If you are an IMBA member (local chapter) you get a discount through expert voice too.

 

I'll be out of town or I'd be interested. I think I'm gonna try and get a few CX races in soon just to mix up the riding a bi if you wanna tag along.

 

On the topic of converting a mtb to a gravel bike, I stumbled on this one last night and has me thinking...

https://youtu.be/DAnjP-qTIMY?si=W2tcgfvSGgAP_1oR

 

Doing this same thing for a friend currently...

Trying to do it on a budget, using the Surly Corner bars so shifters/brakes do not need to be swapped out. We'll see how it works out.

 

Lemme know how you like the corner bars. I am curious about kitting up a rigid fork with bosses and those bars onto my hardtail to make a quasi-bikepacker configuration.

 

I just google'd the corner bars, those things are sweet! I may have a use for a set...

 

That Utah sun softens them right up. Sweat a bit more in the sun, but one shot and right up they went.
Worth it.
Also, trail casings. Not nearly the same with thicker casings.

 

Cool, right!? Just ordered the parts. Only potential issue I see is there isn't a lot of clearance for a large chainring up front... may need to go 2X. We'll see how much dough my friend wants to part with.

 

Not your typical trailside hazard.

 

I ran up on one that looked like it was digging a nest in the middle of the trail.

 

Saw this guy on a recent gravel ride - from a distance thought it was a rock and was ready to try and bunny hop it on the gravel bike.

 

Those things are monsters! I've never seen one, but I once had to bunny hop a pair of box turtles in the middle of an amorous moment.

 

Denver bros - any must hit trail systems in the foothills West of Lakewood? Golden maybe?
I have two days to ride there and one will be toured from a buddy. One will be solo.

 

I almost had to bunny hop a box turtle the other day...it was a close call the little guy was definitely trying to get off the trail

 

Personally haven't been on those trails, but I hear good things about Apex, Table Mountain, and Floyd hill. Table and Apex are near Golden. Floyd is a little more west on I70. They do the Session Series weekday enduro races at Floyd to give you an idea on the trails there. Pretty sure the Yeti guys are in Golden and ride Apex a ton. If you go during the week you might see some new frames or something.

There are some dirt jumps in Ruby Hill if thats your thing.

 

White Ranch in Golden or Floyd Hill would be my recs. Lair o’ the Bear in Morrison is also a fun track. Not as technical as the others, but a fun ride.

 

MTB Cart, Prescott

 

I don't remember if I posted this here or not.

Rode a Santa Cruz 5010 with transmission in Bend a couple weeks ago. I had a tallboy reserved to do a long ride, but they double booked it so I took a 5010 instead.

The bike felt piggish on climbs. I'm not sure if I was out of shape or what. The front end felt pretty heavy also. The heavy front end made it a little tricky to get over some obstacles. I thought I had a flat rear at points also.

Then I did a downhill trail and it ate up everything. The 29 up front got over everything. I purposely took jank lines to see what happens, the rootiest or rockiest options on the trail. Kind of felt like gliding over it. The 27.5 in the back was super playful too. The front would bounce over whatever and I could throw the back around real easy.

I'm not sold on it. I have a few hours on my 2019 patrol, full 27.5, since I got back. I enjoy riding that more.

Transmission was nifty. It did take some shifts to get used to it. I'm completely fine with my cabled gx eagle though.

I rented from Pine Mountain in Bend. They rent racks also which was handy.

Also, you can fit a full bike in the front seat of a tacoma.

 

Doesn't count, you still have to be able to drive the Tacoma.